Cigar bunching and forming machine.



APPLICATION FILED MAILZI. 19H5 1,263 673.

I nnwann r. Horreur., or PHILADELPHIA, PENNsYLvANrA.

CIGAB BUNCHING AND FORMING MACHINE.

Bpecication of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

Application filed March 21, 1916. Serial No. 85,689.

--manufacture of cigars and has for an object to provide a. machine for bunching and transferrin the cigar in its embryo form from the unching table to the shaping mold.

Among other features the invention comprehends a machine generally adapted to the manufacture of cigars, particular attention being devoted to a novel form of mechanism designed for the purpose of ladvancing. whatV is generally known as the bunch from a forming table to theusual mold, the bunch being in the nature of a mass of tobacco later constituting the filler, and a binder .in which the filler is rolled or secured. In thefurtherfdisclosure of theinvention reference is to be had to the'accompanylng vdrawings constitutin a part of this specification 1n which 'simi ar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views and in whic Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through a portion of my machine showin the invention,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3V is a perspectlve view of the transferring element and Y Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional View taken through the element,

Fig. 5 is a to plan view of the transferring element. ig. 6 is a fragmentary pers ective view of one of the side plates of tiie transferrer.

Referring more particularly to the views, I disclose a frame 10 havin a part of a cigar forming machine, the rame supportc ing a suitable top or table 11, formed with a `de ression 12, in which the tobacco is bunc ed to form the filler. A rolling sheet 13 of any lpliable material is suitably mounted upon t e table and is manually l,or otherwise operated to advance the filler along. the

'table to an opening 14 therein. At the rear end of the frame there is arranged a mold 15 which receives the ller after it has the binder applied thereto.

Coming now to the essence of .my invention, 1t will be seen that an axle 16is journaled in. the frame 10 in a compartment 17 formed 1n the frame and'having the opening 14 as an entrance thereto. AV transferrin element 18 is mounted yon the axle 16 an 1s capable of a Swingin movement in the compartment, the trans erring element being normally in a vertical position and adapted to be swung into a horizontal osition.' A series of connected links 19 ave connection with the axle 16 and are suitably pivoted on the frame, said links having connection with a cam element 20 rigid on a shaft 21 journaled on the frame. This shaft it will be seen, ythrough the medium of the cam element, frame and connected links 19, will thus impart to the transferring element the desired movement. .In the present instance the driving power is applied to a shaft 22, journaled on the frame andl having a crank 23 operated in a slotted lever 24 rigidly secured to the shaft 2l, so that the power, as shown, is initially applied to the shaft 22 and by the lstructure mentioned communicated to the shaft 21.

The` transferring element 18, mentioned heretofore consists essentiall of a substantially U- haped frame 25, aving a cross piece 26, the frame being rigidly secured on the axle 16 sothat when the axle is actuated a swinging movement will be imparted to the transferring element to swing the same from a vertical into a horizontal position or vice versa. Mounted to swing on the frame are opposed side plates 27, carrying removthe side plates and as the transferring element is swung from a horizontal into a vertical position, the pin 31 engaging a lug 32 on the frame 10, will cause the side plate having the pin thereon to swing into an open position or in other words, ,have its free end swing outwardly from the cross piece 26, the intermeshing gear elements 29 j larly i larged due to the transferring thus causing the other side plate to simiswing into an open position.

A rod 33 is journaled on the frame 25 and at its outer end carries a block 34 constituting an ejector, the rodhaving a spring 35 associated therewith, said spring abutting against a guide bar 36 on the rod with the guide bar having its ends operating in slots thus tending 37 in the frame 25, the spring a normal position, thereto hold the rod in b holding the block 34 in a normal position with respect to the side plates and jaws, the jaws 4and block furthermore, forming a pocket 38. The block 34 is so arran ed on the free end of the rod 33 that it can e slid laterally to the rod and removed so that a larger or smaller block can be used, if desired.

A horizontally disposed plunger 39 is mounted to slide on the frame 10 and has its :forward end adapted to enga e the rear end of the rod 33 when the trans erring element is in a horizontal position in order that the ejector will be operated when the pluner is actuated. The lunger has a spring 40 associated therewit for returning the plunger to normal position after it has been. actuated and a bell crank lever 41, mounted to swing on the frame 10 has one end in pivotal connection with the lunger and the other end pivoted to a s otted link 42, throu h -the slot of which asses 'a pin on a am 44, carried on t e shaft 21, the shaft being merely oscillated to impart an oscillatory move ent to the beam whereby through the medium of the link 42 and bel crank lever 41, the plunger will be actuated for the purpose mentioned heretofore. Referring now to the compartment will be seen that the entrance 14 thereto opens into the pocket 38 of the transferring element when the latter is in a vertical position and that an epenin: @.5 in the side or front of the compartment has the pocket aliningtherewith w en the `transferring element is in horizontal position, said opening furthermore, being in registrationwith one of the matrices 46 of the mold 15.

In the operation scribe a quantity otobacco is in the receptacle or depression 12 and then by means'of the rolling sheet 13 it is advanced overthe table to the entrance 14 of the compartment 17. The transferring ele ment is now vertically disposed in the comartment with the pocket opened or enthe fact that the jaws of the side plates are sli htly swung apart while e ement is in vertical position. This permits of readily advancing the bunch or quantity of collected tobacco into the pocket and when this has been accomplished the continued operation of the apparatus throu h the medium of the various links and evers described, operate of the apparatus de- 4 first collected d to hold the jaws in upon by a suitable driving power, will cause the transferring element to swing into a horizontal position in the compartment so that the pocket will re 'ster with the opening 45 in the front of t compartment. At this moment the plunger 39 is operated and in turn, actuating the rod 33 imparts move ment to the block 34 so that the ejector will eject the contents of the pocket into one oiv the matrices of the mold. The continued o eration of the machine now permits the unger 39 to return to a retracted position: and the ejector 34 being also returne to a normal position, by being released from engagement with the plunger, and by the action of its controlling spring 35.

It will thus be apparent that the apparatus described in its automatic operation, not only transfers a bunch from the table' to a position adjacent the mold but in fact, ejects the contents of the pocket of the trans ferring element into the mold when the transferring element is swung into horizon` tal position. Althou h I have shown some specific mechanism or accomplishin this purpose it will be understood that I o not limit myself to the particular form of ap aratus described for the urpose of bringin about the transfer o `the bunch from the table to the mold and the ejection of the bunch into the mold. In this connection, however, particular attention is called to the novel arrangement and construction of th v. side plates and jaws thereof, together with the block forming a art of the ejector and' which is remova le rom the bod thereof to permit of the substitution of arger or smaller blocks as desired, the jaws being also arranged for such substitution when necessary. Still further it will be noted that when the jaws are relatively opened their swinging action is precisely the san'- although in oppos'te directions and one ja will swing outwardly a distance equal to the outward swin of the other jaw. This movement is e ected throu h the provision of the intermeshng toothe gear elements 29, carried by each o the swinging side plates 27, and thislsynclironous movement of the plates is an extremely important feature, inasmuch as it permits a bunch, discharged from the rolling table, to accurately center itself within the jaws 28, so as to be in posi tion to be firmly gripped by said jaws when the transferrer egins to oscillate downward.

Having describedni invention,I claim 1. In a cigar bunc ing or forming ma chine, a transferrin element comprising a frame, interchangea le jaws carried by the frame and fprmed with a bunch-receiving pocket, an ejector movably carried by the frame for discharging the contents of the ocket therefrom, resilient means tending` roo position to grip the con- 13o tents of the pocket, and means for simnljaws and` operable to oscillate the latter taneously moving said jaws to an open pp` synchronoilsly, removable Focketforming sition for the reception of a ci r bunch.- plates canf'ie by said jaws or the reception 2. In-a cigar bunching or arming miaof a cigar bunch an ejector movable'bel chine, the combination Wlth a bunch-rolling tween said plates or effe the discharge mechanism and a vertically disposed bunchof a bunch from the trans errer intosind receiving mold, of a transferrin element mold, and means`for oscillating said transfor transferring the bunch from t e rolli ferrer from a substantially vertical bunchmechanism to the mold1 com risin an osc' receiving position to a horizontal bunchlating frame, a plurality o bunc -holding ejecting position.

jaws .pivotally carried by said frame, inter- In testlmony whereof I ailix m signature.

meshing gear elements formed with said EDWARD P ER. 

